I would be willing to bet that the most terrible words for daytime executives is "lapsed viewer." One might think that "cancellation" would be at the top of that list, but when a show goes off the air it is essentially a period at the end of sentence with everyone eventually moving on to something else. One also might think "lost viewers" might rank high, but the top brass is keenly aware that the television world has changed; viewers who have exited stage right have either different things to do or are far more selective with their viewing choices, two things that often go hand in hand.

As it turns out, the "lapsed viewer" is the elusive "independent" or "undecided" voters of the daytime world. Not unlike presidential hopefuls, network executives, producers and head writers stumble all over themselves to reel these people in to a new show or back into the fold of an old one. Their efforts vary from sincere to misguided to empty lip service depending on their audience or agenda. READ MORE

Such a momentous day and so little to say. Before I get to the death of Babe, a couple of quick notes.

First, I really liked the scenes where Natalia told a shell-shocked Angie and Frankie about how Jesse always loved them, but also communicated the amount of love between Jesse, Natalia and her mom. Second, the tornado must have knocked some sense back into Greens because she quickly put together that Zach was the father of Baby Lesbianca. I'm curious where this little tidbit may lead. Third, Jake operated on Kendall when the lights went out in Georgi....I mean, Pine Valley Hospital. Once Taylor restored power to the generator and Kendall's surgery was complete, Kendall went into convulsions, most likely spasms of joy over Alicia Minshew's vacation. Finally, Erica and Adam were rescued by the Scooby Doo gang, setting up fireworks in the Baby Lesbianca saga for Erica and fallout from Babe's death for Adam, which bring us to... READ MORE

In disaster cinema there comes a point in the story where, as Heidi Klum would say, one is either in or out. One knows going into the theater or popping a DVD into the player what one is in for the same way one knows more or less what to expect from a slasher pic or a romantic comedy. No matter how the genre's formula is tweaked, it is up to the writers and filmmakers to provide the hooks that will draw you into their specific event or world. What hooks me varies all the time; just as often those same elements may turn me off completely.

The make-or-break moment for me in 1972's The Poseidon Adventure is the sequence when the survivors must climb the Christmas tree to escape the ballroom. In 1964's Fail Safe, the make-or-break moment is encapsulated in the tense conversation between the President of the United States and the Soviet Premier, which must be precisely interpreted. In Deep Impact, the scene is Tea Leoni's first conversation with President Morgan Freeman. There has to be something to make me care or I won't wait for the credits. After learning who lives and dies, the story is over in a movie. READ MORE

Here we are at Day 2 (or according to ABC's marketing, is it Day 3?) of The Great Pine Valley Tornado of 2008. Before giving my general impressions, this entry calls for a bit of a disclaimer. My initial "The Wind Done Gone" post about All My Children's epic event was a broad critique of the episodes aired to that date based on ABC's marketing machine regarding the special effects work vis a vis the show. This may have left an impression that I was conflating the CGI work with the dramatic aspects of the story. In an effort to streamline things a bit, I will henceforth treat several aspects of The Great Pine Valley Tornado separately.

THE DRAMA: At the end of Friday's episode, Erica and Adam were trapped in the secret passageways of the Chandler Mansion, having discovered that a mysterious stranger had been living there; a jealous Aiden found Ryan and Kendall at the gazebo moments before it was destroyed; the Comeback was demolished, leaving a hysterical Babe bleeding and trapped on top of a suffocating Little A and JR with a terrible choice to make; and Zach made a narrow escape from his overturned car and returned to the decimated beach house to find the boys alive, Kendall missing, and Bianca under a flipped over couch.

Today, the drama continued with a number of rock solid twists, shocks and surprises (mostly involving Bianca) that would have been more twisty, shocking and surprising if one hadn't read them in Soap Opera Weekly, Soap Opera Digest or watched any of ABC's promos over the weekend. And we're off! READ MORE

Happy Birthday Bobbie Eakes (Krystal Carey Chandler, AMC)!  Join Daytime Confidential in wishing Bobbie a very special 47th Birthday!

Our friend Nelson Branco just put up another article about his Emmy experience. The article features many quotes from a wide array of daytime's hottest stars. The starts discuss everything from their respective story lines to outside film projects. Head over to TV Guide Canada for all the backstage Emmy gossip.